Continuing concerns over pollution of ground water supplies has increased the need for the construction of residential and commercial waste water treatment facilities. The need for the treatment facilities is particularly acute in those areas which are growing rapidly or are experiencing shortfalls in water supply. In many areas of the country, localities are experiencing both a water shortage and rapid growth.
Conventional waste water treatment techniques employ a number of tanks or basins which are interconnected through pipes, pumps, and similar plumbing. These facilities not only are expensive to construct, but also occupy much land. Since each facility occupies a relatively large area of land, then expansion is made further more expensive and/or difficult in view of the need to acquire additional land. Also, the piping cost for the facilities can be quite high in view of the distance between the tanks.
A typical waste water treatment facility will have an optional surge tank or basin, for smoothing out fluctuations in waste water input, followed by a number of subsequent processing tanks. Many systems employ an aeration tank wherein oxygen is added to the waste water for causing carbon to be consumed. A settling tank typically follows the aeration tank in order to permit debris and solids to be separated from the aerated water. The sediment from the settling tank may thereafter be directed optionally to a sludge digester, or normally to the inlet of the aeration tank.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there is a need for a waste water treatment facility which is relatively inexpensive to construct, which occupies a relatively small amount of land, and which readily permits expansion as required. The disclosed invention is just such a waste water treatment facility.